Pastry Ideas For Your Kitchen

The beautiful thing about pastry dough or crust is that you can incorporate it into many different dishes. It is probably most commonly associated with the dessert menu, but you can construct many different courses with this ingredient. We will start things off in the kitchen by preparing three completely varying dishes with the recipes below. This will give you a good starting point from which to expand and experiment with ingredients while you cook. It is much easier to use a store bought, pre-made pie crust, but it is measurably more enjoyable to make your own from scratch. Below are some recipes that you can try in your kitchen that show off the different ways in which you can use pastry crust. From sweet desserts to savory main dishes, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Beef Pot Pie

Yes a pot pie is a wonderful way to use pastry dough and there is nothing sweet about this savory dish.

Ingredients

– 1 refrigerated pie crust (please follow softening directions)

– 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

– 3/4 pound of boneless sirloin beef steak cut into 1/2 cubes

– 1/2 chopped onion

– 1 jar (12 oz.) of beef gravy

– 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

– 2 teaspoons of sugar

– 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

– 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables

– 2 cups of frozen hash browns (southern-style, 32 oz. package)

Cooking Instructions

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Following the instructions on the package, prepare the two-crust pie by using a 9-inch pie pan.

3) Place oil in a large skillet and cook over medium to high level heat until hot. Add beef and onion. Stir until beef is brown. Drain accordingly.

4) Add gravy, cornstarch, sugar, and pepper to a small bowl of your choosing and mix well. Once mixed, pour the mixture into the skillet. Add the hash browns and vegetables to the skillet and stir at a slow pace. Cook for 5 minutes or until the frozen vegetables have properly thawed.

5) Once the mixture has cooked, promptly spoon it into the pie crust pan. Use the second pie crust to cover and seal the mixture. Cut small slits in various places on the top layer of the crust.

6) Bake the pie at a temperature of 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Please allow 10 minutes of cooling time prior to serving.

If you would like to make your own crust instead of frozen you can check out this recipe homemade pot pie crust.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients

– 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

– 3/4 cup of sugar (white)

– 2 packages of biscuit dough (refrigerated if possible)

– 1/2 cup of butter

– 1/2 cup of brown sugar

Cooking Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Spray 8-10 muffin cups with cooking spray.

3) In a bowl of your choosing, stir the cinnamon (one tablespoon) and sugar until blended.

4) Remove biscuits from packaging and cut into quarters. Place dough into the cinnamon and sugar mixture one piece at a time until adequately coated.

5) Place coated biscuit pieces into the muffin cups. No more than three to five pieces per cup.

6) Place the butter, brown sugar, and one tablespoon of cinnamon, in a microwavable glass bowl and microwave until the butter has melted. Blend the mixture and lightly pour the liquid over each muffin cup.

7) Bake the bread until the tops are golden brown. Cooking time should be roughly 20 minutes. Please allow for a 10 minute cooling period before removing the bread from each cup.

Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

– 1/4 cup butter (chilled if possible)

– 2 1/2 cups of cinnamon bun/roll baking mix

– 1/2 cup of milk

– 1 egg

– 2 tablespoons of softened margarine

– 3 tablespoons of sugar (white)

– 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

– 1 cup of powdered sugar

– 1 tablespoon of milk

Cooking Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) Apply grease to an 8-inch square cooking pan.

3) Cut butter into 1/4 inch squares.

4) Using a bowl of your choice, add butter and baking mix. Coat butter with mix until each square is coated.

5) Add egg and 1/2 cup of milk to a mixing bowl and beat thoroughly. Pour mixture into bowl containing the butter and baking mix.

6) Take the newly formed dough and place it on a cutting board that has been coated with baking mix. Roll dough in order to coat. Fold and knead the dough 10 to 12 times. Roll into a 15 x 8 rectangle if possible.

7) Add a touch of margarine to the dough as well as a light sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. Cut dough into 12 slices.

8) Place the final product on the aforementioned cooking pan and bake until golden brown for 15 to 20 minutes. Please allow 15 minutes of cooling time.

9) Mix powdered sugar and one tablespoon of milk until a smooth texture is reached. Drizzle the mixture over each bun.

As you can see, there are many wonderful ways that you can make use of pastry dough. We hope that this was a tasty introduction and you try cooking one of these in your own kitchen. There is nothing quite like the flaky goodness of the perfectly browned crust. Stay tuned for more if you have a serious sweet tooth as we get some ice cream into the mix.